call me crazy...
the 4pot out of the patrol - decent power,torque for days and I hve been in one at 160+ kmh. it had more in it. now drop that into a R33,R32 shell with a fair bit less weight and enjoy. it won't be a drag/circuit weapon but it would generate a lot of 'WTF was that' as it went past at a decent speed.
likewise for a RD28 set up properly with a silly hairdryer hanging off it. . A lot of the R series cars HAD a diesel option in japan.
as a marker, look at the golf and the euro deisels. the opel astra 1.9T - 1000km /tank (50lt) and stupid acceleration when the ECU is flashed.